Life imitates art!
    3 years ago
            
                            Visit my old account geckoguy123456789 to view all my pre 2017 art!                        
                    
                    I was at a good friend's baby shower this weekend and after the party was over we were out on the patio catching up. she offered and asked if I wanted to feel the baby. OH MY GOSH. I only got to feel a little thump as they weren't super active but holy s*** my heart skipped a beat and then melted.  I know she's not aware of how personal that was to me but I am so grateful for the experience, if even for a moment <3
Now why does this imitate art? Well because I was already working on a comic where a character is visiting with Logan and Jennifer (pre pregnancy) and well... No spoilers but he does get to feel her pup X3
So overall a really pleasant turn of events! So now here's my question for all of you...
Let's say you're in that situation. Pregnant friend offers to let you feel her belly and ask any questions you want (sfw), no judgement.... what do you ask her? I'm asking because I'm legit curious what you all would say and then I'm also fishing for questions I may include in the comic as well~
Remember to keep it PG and that she is a good friend! So no creepy sh*t.
                    Now why does this imitate art? Well because I was already working on a comic where a character is visiting with Logan and Jennifer (pre pregnancy) and well... No spoilers but he does get to feel her pup X3
So overall a really pleasant turn of events! So now here's my question for all of you...
Let's say you're in that situation. Pregnant friend offers to let you feel her belly and ask any questions you want (sfw), no judgement.... what do you ask her? I'm asking because I'm legit curious what you all would say and then I'm also fishing for questions I may include in the comic as well~
Remember to keep it PG and that she is a good friend! So no creepy sh*t.
 
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I feel like I'd personally be awkward about it because most of my friends know how I feel about pregnancy, but provided I did, I'd probably just ask what it's like to feel them in there.
I literally have zero frame of reference for the feeling of growing another person in my body, feeling the kicks, all that, I'd ask for their perspective.
Tbh... I'm not sure I could come up with any questions. On the one hand, at this point I'm probably too shy to ask, haha. On the other hand, my curiosity is insatiable and I'd want a whole book on her experiences.
Mostly I'd like to learn what's going on in her head, and her heart. "How do you feel" is super vague, but... yeah. What does it feel like? What is the interplay between the physical reality of having another life in your body, and what feelings does it stir when you're aware of it? What are your fears for the future, and your hopes?
Like not just a passing feel, but an actual sit down Q&A.
And I'd ask if I could listen for a heartbeat, too.
Also man oh man you’re a lucky guy!
I would probably start by asking "how" to touch a belly like that. Despite my time in genre, I genuinely don't know how someone would approach that irl in a way that she would like/want, and I'd presume most who haven't had that experience would probably feel similarly.
Having a baby connected to you within your womb is such a complex relationship. On one hand, it is intimate, the closest you will ever be to them. On the other hand, you still have yet to physically meet the little one. You sense them, and are able to catch a glimpse of them through the power of technology, but there is still an element of wonder. When you try to enter the mind of your baby, does it feel like you projecting yourself and your own thoughts on them, or do you truly feel a deeper sense of knowing--the motherly intuition, if you will?
The cool thing is that both answers are exciting in their own way. The latter (the "I can't explain how, but I somehow just know") is sacred, and that spiritual connection is powerful. The former (the "I don't know") is a thrill; you encounter bonding moments during gestation with a curiosity that comes from exploring, while also accepting and savoring that element of mystery. I love this idea of pregnancy leaving both impressions simultaneously: the expectant mother knows her child better than anyone, yet still has room to marvel at what more she has yet to learn about them.
On the other hand, I'll tell you the same thing I said on Twitter: "Sir, you just earned all my respect." xD
I had two experiences where I was able to touch a pregnant belly. One was while I worked at Dollar General, where a girl that graduated in the same class as me came in and I politely asked if I could feel (since we knew each other). I only stopped touching because despite that I was in uniform, I felt myself getting hard and didn't want anyone to notice, especially not her. I don't think she did, though.
The other was when my cousin was pregnant with her second baby in ten years. Since it was so far out from her first one, she had a baby shower, and I specifically took the day off for it. She had remembered back at Christmas time from the year before that I wanted to feel her belly, and invited me over to her. What didn't help was that the ENTIRE FAMILY stared me down. The baby moved and I pulled my hand back. After everything died down I ran off to the laundry room where my aunt asked what was wrong. I told her that I was absolutely embarrassed to feel my cousin's belly (I absolutely did NOT say why, that's none of her business). She reassured me that it was normal for a guy to be curious on what that's like.